Science

You can perform many experiments to investigate radioactivity safely in the classroom or even at home. Radioactivity is natural and around us all the time. Small amounts of radiation can come from...

Solar radiation has positive and negative effects on the climate, ecosystem and health of organisms living on earth. The negative effects are often associated with man-made chemical radiations;...

Gamma rays are one of the most dangerous byproducts of radiation, capable of causing long-term sickness and death, according to the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency. They also occur naturally,...

Infrared radiation and convection are two common forms of heat transfer. Infrared radiation is a form of invisible light--or electromagnetic radiation--that's emitted by objects cooler than the...

While there are many artificial sources of ultraviolet light, there is only one important natural source: the sun. The ultraviolet light from the sun accounts for most of that type of radiation...

The solar greenhouse effect, or simply the greenhouse effect, refers to the warming of the earth due to the absorption and reflection of infrared radiation by the earth's surface and atmospheric...

Gamma electromagnetic radiation has the highest energy and the greatest potential for damage of all the known forms of radiation. Gamma radiation, also known as gamma rays, can affect both living...

Since the dawn of space travel, scientists have concerned themselves with the effects of radiation on astronauts. Several kinds of radiation occur almost instantaneously and can cause a variety of...

Nuclear radiation can have a major impact on electronics, namely the fact that semiconductors cease to function. This effect causes electronic devices to stop working. The amount of radiation...

Radiation--which is invisible to the human senses--was discovered in the late 19th century. Scientists and researchers needed to investigate this phenomenon, which led to the invention of devices...

A natural process that occurs in unstable atoms, radioactivity, when properly used, delivers many benefits. The reliability of radioactive decay makes it useful to estimate dates on ancient...

Thousands of people work with radiation and radioactive materials every day. Radiation can be handled safely, given the right tools and training. Be aware of the effects of time, distance and...

Infrared light is a scientific breakthrough that has led to advancements in many fields and applications. Read on for some common uses of infrared technology.

Issues regarding non-renewable and polluting fossil fuels versus alternative sources of energy have been debated regularly for many years now. Solar energy is always mentioned in energy debates as...

An X-ray grid is the part of an X-ray machine that filters out randomly deflected radiation that can obscure or blur an image produced by the machine. It was invented in 1913.

Heat transfers from object to object in one of three ways: conduction, convection and radiation. Conduction is transfer by contact. Convection is transfer by a fluid in motion. Radiation...

Since their discovery, magnets have been a curiosity and a useful tool for many applications. Lodestone, the name assigned to naturally occurring magnets, can transfer magnetism to other metals....

The hydrogen bomb is the single most destructive weapon ever devised by man, and is the only successful effort by mankind to harness the same basic process that is created deep inside the sun to...

Two standard experiments are used to demonstrate Newton's law of cooling. One is to heat a thermometer, and then note the rate at which the temperature drops as it cools. Another is to heat a...

The Geiger counter, invented in the early 1900s, is an essential tool for safely managing radioactive materials. It's rugged, portable, and simple to operate. As with most equipment, its best...

Neutrons are subatomic particles found in the nuclei of most atoms, except for hydrogen. In the nucleus, neutrons are normally stable and tightly locked-up. However, they can be kicked out with...

Thermal Imaging technology has been in use for nearly half a century in both the military and civilian worlds. It is useful in finding injured people that are masked from view in burning buildings...

Heat transfer is the movement of heat from a hotter object to a colder object. Heat itself is how we experience molecular vibrations. Faster vibrations feel hotter to the touch. There are three...

Infrared light is electromagnetic radiation with wavelengths between 700 nanometers and 100 micrometers. Having longer wavelength than visible light, it therefore has less energy per photon....

Every dosimeter has a serial number. An organization's Radiation Safety Officer (RSO) or similar person assigns dosimeters to staff members who come in contact with radiation. The workers wear the...

Heat is a form of energy. It is transferred from warm places to cooler places. So easily, in fact, that people spend a great deal of money and effort trying to keep it in their homes in winter,...

Heat transfer is the transition of thermal energy from a hotter object to a cooler object. Heat is how we experience on a macro level the vibrational motion of molecules' thermal energy. The...

Dosimeters measure prolonged exposure to potentially dangerous effects. They are used by workers and scientists in a variety of situations, but the most common dosimeters measure either ionizing...

A natural process that led to nuclear bombs, power and medicine, the study of radioactive decay has led to a deeper understanding of atoms. While most atoms are stable, lasting billions of years,...

When people talk about radiation measurements, they usually refer to ionizing radiation. Most types of lightwaves "radiate," or transfer through a medium, but only some of these waves are ionizing...

Nuclear energy is a term that's bandied about almost casually today. It's something wondrous that can shape the world, while at the same time is something that holds the potential for great...

Most of the disadvantages with nuclear energy has to do with the inherent properties of nuclear fission. The energy and byproducts released by nuclear fission are health hazards--either because of...

Heat transfer is one of the most basic physical phenomena that can be observed nearly everywhere in one's environment. Because of its very common occurrence, it is essential to know the details...

Ultraviolet light, which is also called UV light, is invisible to the naked eye. That's because its wavelength is too short for our eyes to perceive, unlike visible light. On the spectrum, the...

Ionizing radiation is a fact of everyday life; it's in the ground, the sky and the walls of your house. It comes from natural and man-made sources. Fortunately, the nature, risks and effects of...

Thermoluminescence dating is the use of heat on archeological or geological samples to produce a light signal that is proportional to an accumulated radiation dose. It is used to date rocks,...

The entire electromagnetic spectrum runs from microwaves to gamma rays. Human eyes are sensitive to what is predictably called the visible light spectrum. Ultraviolet light waves have a frequency...

Temperature can be measured in a number of different ways, and the infrared thermometer does it by analyzing infrared radiation that comes off of an object. Nearly every object emits infrared...

Taking advantage of warmth from the sun without the addition of fans, pumps or other types of motors passive solar heating requires no moving parts. It is also free, once the method for taking...

Infrared thermometers measure temperature from a distance. This distance can be many miles or a fraction of an inch. Infrared thermometers are often used in circumstances when other sorts of...

A photovoltaic cell converts solar radiation into electricity. The device is often referred to as a solar cell. These cells are generally assembled into groups such as photovoltaic arrays, solar...

Since you can't see or hear radioactivity, you must use a tool like a Geiger counter to detect it. A Geiger counter is a handheld device that detects many forms of radiation.

Light is a form of electromagnetic radiation, which always travels at a speed of 186,000 miles per second in a vacuum. Discover how light travels slower in transparent media with information from...

When energy in an atom is lost, it goes to a photon, which is a form of electromagnetic radiation. Find out how photons can give out a visible light with information from a science teacher in this...

Solar energy can produce a current when radiation from the sun hits the surface of silicon chips. Discover how the production of silicon chips can result in solar energy with information from a...

When heat comes to Earth from the sun, various forms of radiation are absorbed in the atmosphere and converted into infrared radiation. Discover why ultraviolet rays can be more dangerous than...

Thermal imaging equipment has important applications in photography, hunting, science, security and even the military. Night vision technology is currently the most common form of thermal imaging,...

A Geiger counter is what most people mean when they think of a radiation detector. This device uses a Geiger-Müller tube as the sensor. This tube is filled with an inert gas that becomes...

Radiant heat is a type of heat loss that involves radiation, which is when heat is constantly given off by warm objects to a surrounding environment. Find out why radiant heat for a house is...

X-rays are an invisible, penetrating radiation that is a form of electromagnetic radiation. Find out how X-rays can produce scintillation when illuminated with certain materials with help from a...